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Friday, November 29, 2013

What does it mean when the center is black, rotten? When the lines of infection crawl from the center? The figures cavorting about the heart suggest that the joy is there, still. Are they summoning long dead affection? Is there a feverish dream sequence depicted? I have to confess that this image is not one of my favorites. The figures seem to be archetypal; they are doing expected things in expected ways. And yet, until just this moment, I have not stopped to contemplate why the coven (my word) is worshiping the infection. Maybe there is a deeper truth to be gleaned here: sometimes we chase that which is most unhealthy for us.

I'm a puritan. A grasper. A Tracy Flick-like grinder. There is no genius in me, merely a willingness to hold tight to what I want with both hands, and not let go. I see so much talent and ability wasted because of inertia, laziness, a lust for just that one thing that is worst for us (echoes of "the best minds of my generation, starving, hysterical, naked"). I can be exhausting in my doggedness. Others exhaust me when they dance around the infection, worship it, ignore that which is healthy and good just around the way. What's wrong with trying to do the right thing?

Sunday, November 3, 2013

I'm beginning a new series of posts on my husband's works, featuring the oldest works chronologically. A link to his shop can be found here.

Freedom

It is an interesting life, being married to an artist. Sometimes, I see scenes of our lives together represented as paintings with key details changed, and that is the background story of Freedom. He modeled this painting on a "selfie" of he and I, taking a picture of ourselves in a mirror. We had just been married that day, and were in a hotel room (a honeymoon suite present from his mother) admiring the large tub and feeling happy. Feeling relatively carefree.

What I like most about this painting is how warm the eyes of the man are. He looks protective, and as if he is ready to be there for the long haul. I could discuss how the style of this painting reminds me of street art found in major cities; intrinsically urban. What I really want to convey, though, is how the warm eyes are enough to carry someone through a lot of cold days and nights.